Loon Lake — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 432
- Capacity
- 74.1 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- El Dorado, CA
- Operating Since
- 1971
- Generators
- 1
- Operator
- Sacramento Municipal Util Dist
- Parent Company
- —
- Annual Generation
- 63,236 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 9.7%
- Balancing Authority
- Balancing Authority of Northern California
- ISO/RTO
- —
- NERC Region
- WECC
Loon Lake
OperatingHydro
Ranked #53 of 247 Hydro plants in CA#237 of 1454 nationally
74.1 MW Hydro operating in El Dorado, CA — Balancing Authority of Northern California
EIAGEMWD
74.1 MW
Nameplate Capacity
1
Generators
unit
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1971
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
38.9827, -120.3245
County
El Dorado, CA
Nearby Plants
- Robbs PeakHydro25.5 MW · 10.6 km
- French MeadowsHydro15.3 MW · 12.7 km
- Jones ForkHydro10 MW · 15.5 km
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | — |
| Owner(s) | Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | — |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Ownership Chain
GEM identifies the owner as Sacramento Municipal Util Dist
This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.
About
The Loon Lake hydroelectric plant is located in El Dorado County, California. The plant has a total capacity of 74.1 MW and began operating in 1971. It is owned and operated by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). The plant utilizes a single generator and conventional hydroelectric technology, drawing power from water (WAT) as its primary fuel source.
Loon Lake's latest annual generation was 63,236 MWh, resulting in a capacity factor of 9.7%. The plant operates within the Balancing Authority of Northern California (BANC) and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region. It is ranked as the 53rd largest power plant in California out of 247, and 239th nationally out of 1464 plants.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
WECC
Balancing Authority
Balancing Authority of Northern California
Grid Voltage
69 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Political Subdivision
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
141 MWh
Latest Month
63.2K MWh
Annual Generation
9.7%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2022 – Dec 2024
Financial Data
No financial data available for this plant.
Pricing & Market Data
This plant is outside organized wholesale electricity markets (ISOs/RTOs). Nodal pricing data is not available.
News & Articles (10)Beta
Industry·other
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CBC·6 months ago
Grid·outage
Meadow Lake, surrounding areas to face overnight power outage Aug. 27
Residents in Green Lake, Waterhen Lake, Goodsoil, Loon Lake, Pierceland, Beauval, Pinehouse, Canoe Narrows, Pa...
saskNOW·7 months ago
General
Meadow Lake, surrounding areas to face overnight power outage Aug. 27
Residents in Green Lake, Waterhen Lake, Goodsoil, Loon Lake, Pierceland, Beauval, Pinehouse, Canoe Narrows, Pa...
saskNOW·7 months ago
Last updated 2026-03-14
View all 10 articles